Food is a beautiful thing. It brings people together. Its preparation is an expression from the heart. And I suppose that is where most great food comes from, the heart. Ricky Lauren's latest coffee table cookbook, The Hamptons: Food, Family, and History is certainly no exception. She recently signed copies for adoring fans at an exclusive signing event held at the women's mansion on Madison. Many members of the Ralph Lauren company (including a handful of out-of-towners traveling from as far as Houston, TX—loved seeing you ladies), as well as the entire Lauren clan, turned out to support the culinarian matriarch. Lauren frames her time-tested recipes within the four Hampton towns she has called home over the years. While appetite-inducing photographs inhabit practically every page, it's the recipes that will have you hankering. The Curried Butternut Squash-and-Apple Soup is a personal favorite of mine. And for summer? Brussels Sprouts Salad served at room temperature, without question. Despite it being a beautiful hardbound book, don't be surprised if you keep finding this one on the kitchen counter instead of the coffee table.

The signing was invite-only and hosted not only employees of Ralph Lauren but many media personalities over two nights

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